Friday, February 8, 2013

I'm so excited to be able to share this little project with you! It's one of the elements of the Mom Cave that really needed to be brought in line with the look of the room, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. In the end, I just love how it turned out. It's my office chair - a thrifted bargain at $8, with good back support and one stray wheel that sometimes slides across the floor rather than turning.

After considering a tailored re-upholster where I would actually remove the padded parts and recover them, I decided instead to go with the "slipper chair" look of a slip cover. Advantages: removable, washable, and a whole lot less frustrating than trying to figure out how to take this chair completely apart.

After thinking and studying on this for quite awhile (we're talking MINUTES, people!), I decided that I would further simplify by doing a two-piece outfit where the top and bottom just easily slip into place. Here's the result:

Isn't she just super-cute? She looks like she's wearing bloomers!

Fabrics were all from my stash: a beautifully aged patio cushion cover...

Her top is a section of the cushion cover, sewn with slightly rounded corners like the cozy I made for my can opener in the kitchen. I sewed a bit of the bedskirt to the back. This piece, of course, fits by just slipping it over the back of the chair.

The new seat cover isn't even enclosed - it's just a flat piece, with the ruffle and bedskirt sewn around. It fits by just tucking it in to the junction between the existing back and seat of the chair.

Now make no mistake, I think Little Miss Fancy Pants here is adorable... but the true test is whether all this new finery has impacted her functionality as office furniture. My helper assures me it has not.

(Gratuitous cat picture: doesn't Lily look pleased that I have disturbed her slumber?)

Doesn't it just make you want to sing, "Three Little Maids From School?"

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Sorry for dumping this post into your feed... I simply wanted a place to store this info, so I could link out to it from other places. It's related to using Instagram with more than one Twitter account. So, if you're on Twitter and Instagram, maybe you'll find it helpful. Otherwise, return to your homes... nothing to see here. :)

Okay I admit it: I have more than one Twitter account. One of them is for my motorcycle blog, and the other is for this blog and my craft and decorating life. (You can find The Painted Piglet on Twitter here!)

Also, I recently discovered Instagram - a photo editing and sharing app that takes a photo, lets you apply a creative filter or two, and then shares it with your Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks. (You can follow me on Instagram here!)

The problem for me is, my biker friends are not necessarily interested in my craft-related photos, and my crafty friends probably couldn't care less about the latest chromey bit on my motorcycle.

So, I was hoping to find a way to link my Instagram account with both of my Twitter accounts, so that when I snapped a photo I could easily choose which account to share it with.

Unfortunately, Instagram apparently doesn't accommodate multiple personalities like mine. So I figured out a work-around, and thought I would share it in case you have the same issue.

But be warned, it's not that great of an option and Instagram really needs to work on this ASAP. Basically what you're doing in Instagram is unlinking one Twitter account, and linking another, manually.

But first a few important reminders:

a. No matter which Twitter account you share your photo with, on Instagram they're all going to appear on your one Instagram feed. Instagram is the place where all your photo worlds collide!

b. The work-around has to be done before you snap a photo. Once you take a picture or load one from the camera roll, you can't go off and do anything else in Instagram (except cancel the operation) until you're done editing and sharing it.

c. In my case, I discovered that Instagram is pulling my Twitter account information from the Twitter app on my phone (iPhone 4). So even though I use another app to tweet (Tweetcaster), I still had to make sure I had the actual app called Twitter on my phone, and loaded with all the accounts I wanted Instagram to find. I'm guessing the same will be true for you.

d. Think ahead! Be sure your Instagram app is linked to the Twitter account you think you'll be using on a given day. If I am heading off to the antique mall or flea market, I'm going to make sure Instagram is linked to The Painted Piglet. If I'm off to explore the backroads of Iowa with my merry band of biker pals, I'll make sure it's set to my biker account.

Okay so after all that, here's the work-around. Again, what you're doing here is un-linking and re-linking Instagram to different accounts. Assuming you have Instagram already linked to one Twitter account, here's how to un-link and then re-link to a different one.

1. Tap the Profile icon in the lower right corner of Instagram to go to your Profile.

2. Tap the cog to access your Settings.

3. Tap "Share Settings."

4. Tap "Twitter."

5. Tap "Unlink."

6. Tap "Yes, I'm sure."

7. Now you're back to the "Share Settings" screen. Tap "Twitter" again.

8. Instagram pulls up a list of the Twitter accounts that are connected to the Twitter app on your device. (See Reminder "c" above.) Tap the account you want to link Instagram to.

Instagram will connect and you'll now see the Twitter account name off to the right again.

9. Once the "Connected" message fades away, you can click the camera icon to return to the camera. From here you can snap a photo, or load one from your camera roll.

Yes, you have to do this every time you want to share to a different Twitter account. Frankly, it's a pain in the butt.

Of course, if I'm out at the antique mall and I see something that might interest my biker friends, I can always snap the photo with my camera app instead of with Instagram. The photo will immediately save to the camera roll. Then later, I can go through the unlink/link work-around again and load/edit/share that picture from the camera roll with the other account. Or I could share it right away using TwitPic or Facebook or whatever, and skip Instagram altogether.

Wouldn't it be so much easier if I could simply tap "Next" when I'm done applying filters, then tap "Twitter" on the Share Photo screen, then be shown one more screen that lists all my Twitter accounts?

Yes, yes it would. I hope Instagram is working on that. And by the way, if YOU know of an easier way to toggle between Twitter accounts on Instagram, please Please PLEASE share it in the comments! Maybe I have just completely missed it. If so, I'd love to know the real way to do this!

Monday, February 4, 2013

It's time for another trip around Grandma Verdie's antique table... I've made this my "go-to girl" for seasonal or holiday-themed displays. So far we've seen a Spring tablescape, a bit of Christmas sparkle, and the clean, crisp look of blue and white for the new year. Now that Valentine's Day is on its way, I thought I would change it up again with pink and ivory. Here's the new look for the next month or so:

It all starts with this lovely new tablecloth acquired via Ebay. It wasn't the best bargain I've ever found, but I did get it for my "best offer" price which was quite a bit lower than the asking price. I'd have been happier if they'd accepted my first offer, but it's very pretty and I'm not complaining - I really love it!

Of course, Mr. Duck remains on the table, perched again on a small stack of seasonal Victoria and Romantic Homes magazines. The deep red glass heart is a paperweight - a gift from long ago.

This pink glass candy dish, a flea market find with a pretty grape-and-leaf pattern, is awaiting some Hershey's Kisses.

This pretty bowl, filled with silk carnations, came from my mother-in-law Betty. Just look at thoseheart-shaped cut-outs, and flirty gold-edged tab handles!

What's neat about this piece, besides the overall look and weight of it, is how I acquired it: I found a bag containing just the pieces at my local Goodwill one day. They were so pretty I had to have them, even though, at the time, I could only guess at their purpose.

Then several weeks later, on my next trip back to that same store, I found the game board. My guess had been correct, but obviously the elements had gotten separated at some point and I was lucky enough to spot them both!

A bit later, just for fun, I added a soft stuffed heart which you can see in the background... but also wanted to capture a shot of the late afternoon sun streaking across the table.

Also just for fun, a couple of filters applied through the "BeFunky" app on my iPhone. I find these little game pieces quite fascinating!

I really enjoy doing little vignettes on this table - it gives me a chance to play with my stuff! LOL How about you - do you have a favorite spot for displays like this?

I'll be joining Marty over at A Stroll Through Life for her fabulous Tabletop Tuesday party! Hope you will click through and visit all the pretty displays linked there!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Okay so... did you watch the Super Bowl? We're not huge athletic supporters in our house, but we did have the game on... certainly the Ravens' 109-yard kick-off return at the start of the second half was exciting to watch, but moments later when the stadium lights went out, I swear this is all I could think of:

Who... or WHAT-ever was behind the power outage, it definitely affected the Ravens' mojo! And that, folks is the extent of my expert football commentary.

Oh! And for the record, here are my picks for best commercials:

In third place, "Viva Young" by Taco Bell:

Second Place, "Man vs. Cheetah" by Skechers:

And my favorite,"Prom" by Audi America:

Of course, you can't have a Superbowl without a Budweiser Clydesdale commercial, and this year's spot was so sweet: